‘Creamy mucilage’ spread over Marmara: Expert

ANKARA

The mucilage nightmare that first emerged in the Marmara about two years ago and has spread almost over all the sea is returning, an expert warned.

“Creamy” mucilage was detected on the shores of the northwestern province of Tekirdağ, Istanbul’s Fenerbahçe district and Bursa’s Mudanya, Gemlik and Erdek districts.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sarı, dean of the Maritime Studies Faculty at Bandırma 17 Eylül University, has performed an investigation diving in the Erdek Cove.
Sarı has detected some algae proliferation underwater and shared the photos of the mucilage that surfaced on the shores of Bandırma, Edincik.

Sarı emphasized that there are 11 types of mucilage and stated that “creamy” mucilage is the beginning level.

Regarding the regions where this type of mucilage has started to be seen, Sarı stated that several coasts of the Marmara Sea are in the clutches of mucilage again, concerning many citizens.

Stressing that there are three main triggers of mucilage formation, Sarı said these are abnormal increases in sea surface temperatures as a result of climate change, stagnation in sea conditions, and marine pollution.

“When these three factors come together, we encounter catastrophic mucilage. The season has been very dry. Because of this drought, we face the risk of mucilage,” Sarı said.

According to the expert, there has been a proliferation of algae for two months, caused by the overload of nitrogen and phosphorus in the waters.

“When these algae multiplied, underwater visibility range dropped to a distance of only two meters,” he said.

Sarı pointed out that there are other mucilage types such as “sticky, lumpy and ribbon mucilage phases,” and the current situation has not yet evolved into ribbon mucilage.